Virtual private network services blocked in China

Authorities in China have blocked a number of services that help people dodge the official censorship system. Updates to the country’s firewall have reportedly made it difficult for people to use virtual private networks (VPNs) of three providers, StrongVPN, Astrill and Golden Frog.

Chinese citizens often use such VPNs to visit popular sites that are outside the country and cannot be accessed otherwise. According to the country’s state-controlled media, the services had been blocked “for safety reasons”.